Vehicle body side sill reinforcing bulkhead

Abstract

A body has a front side member and a side sill connected thereto. The side sill is disposed outwardly of and below the front side member in the width and height directions of the body. At a junction between the front side member and the side sill, a reinforcement member for reinforcing the junction is provided. The reinforcement member has a longitudinal wall and front and rear walls extending in the body width direction and functioning as bulkheads, and permits the junction to resist a bending moment caused by an impact force applied to the front of the body and acting on the junction in the backward, upward and inward directions of the body. Especially in an offset crash, the reinforcement member restrains a deformation of the side sill and decreases a recession of a front pillar, to thereby reduce a deformation of the passenger cabin.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A vehicle body construction comprising: left and right front side members provided on opposite lateral sides of a body, and each extending in a longitudinal direction of said body;   left and right side sills extending in the longitudinal direction of said body, longitudinally rearward of said front side members, wherein each said side sill comprises an inner side sill and an outer side sill shaped and arranged so as to define a rectangular cross-section;   left and right front side member extensions extending between said left and right front side members and said left and right side sills, respectively;   inner front side members located rearwardly from rear end portions of said front side members;   inner side sill reinforcements disposed to overlap the front end portions of said side sills; and   wherein said longitudinal wall of each of said first reinforcement members has a front end portion overlapped with a respective inner front side member, and a rear end portion overlapped with the front end portion of said inner side sill reinforcements; and   left and right first reinforcement members provided between said left and right front side members and said left and right side sills, respectively,   wherein each said first reinforcement member includes: a longitudinal wall extending in the longitudinal direction of said body, and   at least one transverse wall extending from said longitudinal wall in a width direction of said body;     wherein said longitudinal wall of each of said first reinforcement members has a front end portion overlapped with a respective inner front side member, and a rear end portion overlapped with the front end portion of said inner side sill reinforcements; and   wherein each said longitudinal wall is secured to respective said inner side sills of said right and left side sills at locations adjacent to front and rear edges of each said longitudinal wall.   
     
     
       2. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein said left and right front side member extensions are formed integrally with said left and right front side members, respectively, and form rear end portions of said left and right front side members, respectively. 
     
     
       3. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein said left and right front side member extensions are comprised of connecting members which are separate from said front side members. 
     
     
       4. The body of construction according to claim 1, further comprising: A second reinforcement member extending in the lateral direction of the body, between respective portions of said left and right side sills to which said first reinforcement members are respectively secured, said second reinforcement member connecting said portions to each other.   
     
     
       5. The body construction according to claim 4, further comprising: a front floor pan having an upper face,   wherein said second reinforcement member is disposed on said upper face of said front floor pan.   
     
     
       6. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein each said first reinforcement members includes front and rear transverse walls respectively extending from front and rear ends of said longitudinal wall in the width direction of the body. 
     
     
       7. The body construction according to claim 6, further comprising: side sill outer reinforcements secured to respective said inner side sills of said left and right side sills, each said side sill outer reinforcements defining therein an accommodation space in which a respective said first reinforcement member is received and which is open on a side thereof adjacent to the inner side sill associated therewith,   wherein said front and rear transverse walls of said first reinforcement members are disposed in the accommodation space of and are secured to said side sill outer reinforcements associated therewith.   
     
     
       8. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein rear ends of said first side members and said inner front side members are positioned on a side close to a front of the body with respect to a front end of said inner side sill reinforcement in the longitudinal direction of the body, so as to be spaced from the front end of said inner side sill reinforcement. 
     
     
       9. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein said front end portion of said longitudinal wall of said first reinforcement member, a rear end portion of said inner front side member, and the front end portion of said side sill are mutually fastened at two points which are spaced from each other in the height direction of the body; wherein said rear end portion of said longitudinal wall of said first reinforcement member, said front end portion of said side sill, and a front end portion of said inner side sill reinforcement are mutually fastened at two points which are spaced from each other in the height direction of the body; and   wherein an intermediate portion of said longitudinal wall of said first reinforcement member and said front end portion of the side sill concerned are mutually fastened at one position located in an area between the rear ends of the front side member and said inner front side member and the front end of said inner side sill reinforcement in the longitudinal direction of the body.   
     
     
       10. The body construction according to claim 1, further comprising: a second reinforcement member extending in the lateral direction of the body, between respective portions of said left and right side sills to which said first reinforcement members are respectively secured, said second reinforcement member connecting said portions to each other,   wherein said second reinforcement member is bent at its opposite end portions, said opposite end portions extending along inside surfaces of said front end portions of said side sills, respectively;   wherein each end portion of said second reinforcement member is fastened together with said longitudinal walls of respective said first reinforcement, said front side members, said inner front side members, and the side sill, at locations where said front end portion of said longitudinal wall of said first reinforcement member, said rear end portion of said inner front side member, and said front end portion of the side sill are fastened together; and   wherein each end portion of said second reinforcement member is fastened together with said longitudinal wall of said first reinforcement member and said side sill in an area between said inner front side member and the front end of said side sill reinforcement inner in the longitudinal direction of the body.   
     
     
       11. The body construction according to claim 1, wherein each of said first reinforcement members has an upper wall thereof extending between upper edges of the front and rear transverse walls, and a lower wall thereof extending between lower edges of the front and rear transverse walls, and each first reinforcement member is formed into a box shape. 
     
     
       12. The body construction according to claim 11, wherein each of said first reinforcement members is fabricated from a box-like member obtained by deep drawing and having walls thereof respectively corresponding to the front and rear transverse walls of said first reinforcement member concerned, the walls of the box-like member being each formed with a notch, wall portions, adjacent to the notch, of each wall of the box-like member being overlapped one another and welded together, whereby each first reinforcement member is so fabricated as to be closely fitted into the accommodation space of said side sill outer reinforcement concerned.